Veterinarian Ernie Ward's new book Chow Hound looks at processed petfoods and urges people to learn more about what they're feeding their dogs.

China's State Council recently released the revised draft of the Administrative Rules of Feed and Feed Additives to address the issue of melamine contamination in petfood in the country.

In 2009, the Japan pet population grew to 13.6 million dogs and 11.3 million cats, a 9 and 29% increase respectively from 2004, according to the Japan Pet Food Association.

Canidae Pet Foods Inc.'s Responsible Pet Ownership blog recently celebrated its first anniversary.

 Clextral, a petfood extrusion and drying specialist, achieved a US$61.8 million turnover in 2009 with its subsidiaries: 80% in export sales and 70% in sales in the non-Euro area.

In The Green Lantern, a weekly environmental column, author Nina Shen Rastogi debated the impact of the carnivorous diets of pets on the environment.

Del Monte Foods Co. said its profit from the fiscal third quarter declined to US$59.4 million from US$60.5 million in the year-ago quarter due to greater refinancing costs, offsetting improved sales of the company's products.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled products containing hydrolyzed vegetable protein paste and powder after the agency confirmed the presence of Salmonella in the manufacturer's processing equipment.

PetSmart reported that its fourth-quarter profit fell 4% from US$78.3 million in the year-ago period to US$75 million, while its sales rose 3.4% to US$1.4 billion.

The U.S. Pet Market Outlook 2010-2011: Tapping into Post-Recession Pet Parent Spending from Packaged Facts predicts that the pet industry will rise from US$53 billion in 2009 to over US$70 billion in 2014.